Thalassaemia major is a fatal disease of the blood. Many people go on through their lives while having thalassaemia minor and never knowing about it. When two such individuals produce a child , the child has a very large chance of having Thalassaemia major.
For a Thalassaemia patient to have any chance of survival they need a blood transfusion every 15 days of their life. Currently the demand of bloods for patients is 15000 bottles of blood a month according to this article in “The News”. The blood banks of this city cannot and do not provide enough blood for these patients and this is why many of them die premature deaths, many times before reaching adulthood.
Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Care Centre (KITCC) is all set to launch a blood bank which will cater exclusively to the needs of these patients. What they need is our help and support!
All of us can give blood once every 3 months, I urge all of you reading this to please if possible provide blood to this organization. Your precious blood will save a persons life through them. I also urge all the bloggers who read this to take up on this initiative and spread the message of awareness for this center and disease. It is very important to create more and more awareness so that 2Â thalasaemia minor patients need not marry and have children to add to the toll of this disease, for this people are advised to get blood tests done before marriage. The government is even contemplating mandatory blood testing for marriage certificates for this purpose.
Please note (KITCC) provides blood “FREE OF COSTâ€. I personally will not only be donating blood for this cause but will try to round up as many people as I can to do this. Please help, your help is needed now!!!!
Their contact info is
Kashif Iqbal Thalassaemia Care Center (KITCC) , Becham Road, Laiqabad, Landhi, Karachi – 75120
(+92-21)-8232414 , (+92-21)-4515600 , (+92-21)-5021188 (Fax)
kitcc@gem.net.pk
Since making this post I have been informed that FATMID also provides special services for patients of this disease so if you would like to donate your blood there you can as well. I have also come in contact with two very dedicated persons working for this cause and will be interviewing them in the near future for their take on this problem, their website is @ http://www.thalassemia.com.pk/